My sister and I have discussed going into business together for many years. We have talked about a variety of things. We both love to cook and entertain. I also love to research family histories. We decided that we would start a catering business that would specialize in family reunions.

For an added fee we would complete a family history as well as search out lost family members. Our husbands thought we wanted to cater to too specific a market, but we soon discovered that there are many people that wanted to utilize our services.

We began our business by catering two family reunions of friends of ours. The events were two weeks apart and one was for one hundred people and the other was for eighty. They were both held in a local church fellowship center. The fellowship centers had full kitchens so we prepared the food on sight. We cooked the day before the event as well as the same day. These family reunions were for three generations and did not extend out beyond first cousins. During the second family gathering one of the guests approached us and asked if we would be able to cater a larger party. She said that she and a cousin were trying to combine two family reunions that have taken place over several years. The reason that there were two gatherings held was that out of a family of thirteen children half went to live with one set of grandparents when their parents died and the other half moved in with the other set of grandparents. Half of the children were forced to change their last name to their mother’s maiden name. The two groups lived several hundred miles apart in two different states. This woman said that she had been doing some research, but did not have time to complete it. She agreed to hire me to complete the research. She also wanted my sister and me to combine the two family reunions and cater for the large group of two hundred and twenty people.

My sister and I were very excited that we were able to book another event so easily. That was five years ago. We now have so many requests to cater and plan family reunions that we have had to turn down some of the business. All of our business has been word of mouth. In the five years we have never done any advertising other than having our telephone number in the directory. It is very rewarding being part of the family reunions because we get to watch relatives be reunited that in some cases have never met as adults. We feel our business goes well beyond providing food for a gathering, we help bring people together.